Locking cable connector



May 9, 1961 S. H. JACKSON LOCKING CABLE CONNECTOR Filed March 16, 1959 INVENTOR SAMUEL HENRY JACKSON ATTORNEYS 2,983,893 V LOCKING CABLE CONNECTOR Samuel Henry Jackson, Ardsley, N.Y., assignor to Kings Electronics, Inc., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 799,555

2 Claims. (Cl. 339-91) The present invention is directed to a novel and improved form of cable connector, more specifically a cable connector which is capable of being quickly connected or disconnected and which can be locked in operative position.

In the past, cable connectors of many types have been devised, some of which can be quickly connected or quickly disconnected. Others have been described which have locking mechanisms. ent invention, no cable connector has been known to the art which is not only capable of quick connection and disconnection byaxial force only applied in the appropriate direction, but also is locked in operative position.

It is therefore among the objects of this invention to provide a cable connector which can be quickly connected.

It is also among the objects of this invention to pro vide a cable connector which can be readily and quickly disconnected. 1

It is further among the objects of this invention to provide a cable connector which locks in operative position without any additional manipulation other than that required to engage the connector.

It is still further among the objects of this invention to provide a cable connector of simple and rugged construction, which can be manufactured in very small sizes and which is capable of being quickly connected and disconnected as well as locking the halves of the connector in operative position.

In practicing this invention there is provided a plug having a barrel with a central axial opening therethrough and an internal annular recess near one end thereof. A tube is slidably positioned in said opening and is provided at said one end with a radially flexible resilient gripper. The gripper has a head which contains an internal groove therein.

The remainder of the connector comprises a jack having an annular shoulder thereon which is so proportioned as to be capable of entering and leaving the internal groove when the gripper is radially flexed. The shoulder, however, is incapable of entering and leaving the groove when the gripper is not radially flexed.

An annular stop is provided on the central portion of the plug and the barrel has a pair of spaced seats therein between which the stop projects. On opposite sides of said stop are placed coil springs which are adapted to bear on the seats and the stop.

The recess in said barrel is so positioned and proportioned as to be capable of accommodating the head on the gripper when the plug is in a retracted position. This permits the shoulder on the jack to enter the internal groove.

When the tube and barrel are released, the coil springs bring the tube intooperative position in which the head on the gripper is located forwardly of the recess and within the end of the barrel. Thus the barrel restrains the gripper from flexing radially and hence prevents the However, prior to the pres atent shoulder on said jack from escaping from the groove in the head.

When said jack is pulled forwardly and the barrel is" restrained, the gripper is moved to its advanced position with the head projecting out of the barrel, thus permitting sufficient radial flexing of the gripper to allow the shoulder to escape from the groove in the head.

In the accompanying drawing constituting a part hereof and in which like reference characters indicate like parts,

Fig; 1 is a perspective view of the cable connector in its assembled position;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section along 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 2 partially fragmented and partially in section;

Fig. 4 is a section along 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section along 5-5 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 6 is a section along 66 of Fig. 2.

Cable connector 1 comprises jack 3 and plug 4. The

jack is comprised of body 5 having an axial opening into which is threaded insert 6. Split ring 7 and female contact insulators 8 are provided to insulate the components.

Through said threaded insert, ring and insulator runs axial opening 27 which is adapted to receive one end of the cable to be connected. Opening 27 terminates in female contact 9. On the periphery of body 5 is mounted shoulder 10. V

Plug 4 comprises barrel 2 containing tube 11 into" which is threaded insert 12, said tube containing split firing 13 and male contact insulators 19. Running 28, which terminates in male contact 20.

On the central portion of tube 11is stop 14 and on the inner surface of barrel 2 are seats 17. Coil springs 15 and 16 each bear against one of seats 17 and against one side of stop 14.

On tube 11 at the end remote from insert 12 is gripper 22 composed of perimetrically disposed, spaced apart fingers 26 having slots 23 between adjoining pairs of said fingers. At the end of gripper 22 furthest from insert 12 is formed head 25 which carries internal groove 24 therein.

Barrel 2 near the end thereof furthest from insert 12 is provided with internal annular recess 21 adapted to receive head 25 when tube 11 is in the retracted position, as shown in Fig. 3.

In operation, cable connector 1 is grasped at the knurled portion of barrel 2 and jack 3 is inserted into gripper 22. When shoulder 10 abuts the outer edge of head 25, it is unable to pass and consequently forces head 25, gripper 22 and tube 11 rearwardly against the pressure of spring 15 until the position shown in Fig. 3 is assumed. Head 25 of gripper 22 then expands radially into recess 21 due to pressure of shoulder 10 on chamfer 29, permitting shoulder 10 to enter groove 24 in head 25 which then springs back into its unflexed position. Upon release of the components of cable connector 1, the pressure of spring 15 forces tube 11 (and hence gripper 22 and head 25) into operating position as shown in Fig. 2. The internal surface of barrel 2 restrains head 25 and prevents it from expanding radially. This locks shoulder 10 in groove 24 and hence serves to retain jack 3 in electrical contact with plug 4.

To disconnect plug 4 from jack 3, barrel 2 is grasped by its knurled portion as before, and jack 3 is pulled away from barrel 2. Since shoulder 10 is unable to escape from groove 24, tube 11 is pulled forwardly against the pressure of spring 16 until head 25 projects beyond the end of barrel 2. At this point, head 25 and gripper 22 are sufficiently free to expand radially due to pressure of shoulder 10 on chamfer 30 and per- Patented May 9, 19 61:

properly locate and mit shoulder to escape from groove 24. This allows jack 3 to disengage from plug4.

As soon as jack 3 is disengaged as aforesaid, the pressure of spring 16 forces tube 11 into its neutral or operating position. 2

While only one specific embodiment of this invention has been described, changes such as would 'be apparent to one skilled in the art may be made without departing from the scope and spirit thereof. This invention is to be broadly construed and not to be limited except by the character of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A cable connector comprising a plug having a barrel with a central axial opening therethrough and an internal annular recess near one end thereof, a tube slidably positioned in said opening and provided at said one end with a radially flexible resilient gripper having a head with an internal groove therein, a jack'having an annular shoulder thereon so proportioned as. to be capable of entering and leaving said groove when said gripper is radially flexed and incapable of entering and leaving said groove'when said gripper. is not radially flexed, an annular stop on the central portion of said tube, said barrel having a pair of spaced seats therein between which said stop projects, coil springs on opposite sides of said stop and adapted to bear on said seats and stop to normally maintain the tube in such a position relatively to the barrel that the head is disaligned with the recess, said recess adapted to accommodate said head only when said tube is in retracted position to permit said shoulder to enter said groove, said head being located forwardly of said recess and within said one end when said connector is in operative position to retain said jack in electric contact with said plug, said head adapted to be projected forwardly out of said barrel by pulling said jack forwardly, whereby said jack may be released from said gripper.

gosases 2. A cable connector comprising, a plug having a barrel provided with a central axial opening extending through it, a tube slidably positioned in said opening and provided at one end with a plurality of resilient fingers perimetrically disposed on it, each of said fingers terminating in a head having an internal groove, a recess near one end of said barrel, a jack having an annular shoulder for entering and leaving said groove when the fingers are resiliently flexed and incapable of entering or leaving the groove when the fingers are not radially flexed, an annular stop on the central portion of the tube, the barrel having a pair of spaced seats within it defining a spring-holding chamber between them, the stop being located in said chamber between the seats, coil springs on opposite sides of the stop and interposed between the same and the seats and operative to normally maintain the heads on the fingers to one side of the recess, said recess being adapted to accommodate the heads when the tube is in a retracted position thereby permitting radial spread of the fingers to allow the shoulder to enter the groove in the fingers, the heads on said fingers being normally maintained by the springs forwardly of the recess and within the barrel when said connector is in operative position to retain said jack in electric contact with the plug, the heads on the fingers being adapted to be projected forwardly out of the barrel by pulling the jack forwardly, whereby said heads will spread apart by their inherent resiliency permitting the jack to be released from the fingers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,468,732 Bradbury Sept. 25, 1923 2,409,650 Wiggins Oct. 22, 1946 2,566,993 Parsons Sept. 4, 1951 2,784,987 Corcoran Mar. 12, 1957 2,877,437 Flanagan Mar. 10, 1959 

